Lake Washington (Mississippi)

Lake Washington
Location Washington County, Mississippi
Coordinates 33°04′00″N 91°02′48″W / 33.0667001°N 91.0467721°W / 33.0667001; -91.0467721Coordinates: 33°04′00″N 91°02′48″W / 33.0667001°N 91.0467721°W / 33.0667001; -91.0467721
Type Oxbow lake
Primary outflows Washington Bayou
Surface area 5,000 acres (2,000 ha)
Average depth 6 ft (1.8 m) to 22 ft (6.7 m)
Surface elevation 95 ft (29 m)
Settlements Chatham, Erwin, Glen Allan
References GNIS[1]

Lake Washington is an oxbow lake in Washington County, Mississippi, United States.

Once part of the contiguous Mississippi River, Lake Washington formed when the river changed its course about 1300 AD.[2]

Characteristics

Lake vegetation includes duckweed and cypress trees.

Fish species found in Lake Washington include bowfin, bream (bluegill), buffalo, bullhead, carp, channel catfish, crappie, drum, flathead catfish, gar, green sunfish, hybrid white bass, largemouth bass, minnows, silversides and yellow bass.[3]

History

The first permanent residence in Washington County was located on Lake Washington. P.L. Mann, a political figure and wealthy planter, built a mansion on the east shore of the lake before the Civil War. The home currently located on the site, Linden, was erected in 1914 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (HRHP).[4]

Another pre-Civil War mansion, Mount Holly, constructed on the east shore of Lake Washington, is also listed on the NRHP.[5]

The Law House, an impressive mansion overlooking the lake built in 1902, was ordered as a kit from the Sears & Roebuck Company,[6] and was used in the filming of the 2012 movie Haunted.

Roy's Store is located on the north shore of the lake, and is noted for being in business at that location for over 100 years.[7]

Pollution

Most of the land surrounding Lake Washington is used extensively for agriculture. This has made the lake vulnerable to runoff of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides. In 1973, the lake was closed to commercial fishing due to contamination,[2] and in 1990, a blue-green algal bloom formed in the lake, which killed 14 dogs that drank from the water. Since then, extensive efforts have been made to reduce the lake's pollution.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Lake Washington". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 Bragg, Marion (1977). "Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River" (PDF). Mississippi River Commission.
  3. ↑ "Lake Washington". Bait-N-Thangs. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  4. ↑ "NRHP Nomination Form - Linden" (PDF). National Park Service. January 5, 1982.
  5. ↑ "Mount Holly Plantation". City of Greenville. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. ↑ Hall, Russell S.; Nowell, Princella W.; Childress, Stacy (2000). Washington County, Mississippi. Arcadia Publishing.
  7. ↑ "Country Store Still in Business: Roy's Store, Chatham, Mississippi". Urban Decay. December 9, 2013.
  8. ↑ Scott, Quinta (2010). The Mississippi: A Visual Biography. University of Missouri Press.
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